Rotary steam-engine.



BEST AVAlLABLE COPY No. 749,703. PATENTED JAN. 12, 1904. W. J. RICHMOND.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 0OT.14. 1903.

10 IODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

"l rwsssss: M nvvewron W A A rro/msrs' BEST AVAILABLE COPY No. 749,703. PATBNTBD JAN. 12, 1904.

W. J. RICHMOND.

ROTARY STEAM ENGINE.

APPLICATIOI FILED 00'1. 1.4, 1903. I0 IODEL. 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Inga-Z saw 51$ K A TTORNE rs In: new "VIM no FNhIhLI'mL wuummm c I:

IBEST AVAILABLE COPY UNITED STATES Patented January 12, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. RICHMOND, OF AUBURN, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE NV. RUDOLPH, OF AUBURN, INDIANA.

ROTARY STEAM-ENGINE.

SPEOIFIGATION.frming part of Letters Patent No. 749,703, dated January 12, 1904.

Application filed October 14, 1908.

To all whom it may concern.-

' rotary steam-engines.

The object of my present invention is to provide a rotary steam-engine in which the piston is provided with but asingle abutment and in which the piston is driven largely by the expansive power of the steam instead of by the full boiler-pressure, thereby securing great economy in the use of steam.

Another object of my invention is to provide a rotary steam-engine havin improved means for actuating the steam-Va re and the radially-slidable abutment by a cooperating timed movement.

Similar reference-numerals indicate like parts throughout the views of the drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of the engine, taken through the steam inlet and exhaust ports, showin the fixed or integral piston and the slidab e abutment having a timed cooperation therewith. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of my invention, showing a pair of engines upon the same shaft and showing the construction and relative arrangement of the operative parts. Fig. 8 is an end elevation showing the relative arrangemcntof themeans for actuating the steam-inlet valve.

The cylinder 1, of common form, has upon its opposite ends proper removable steamtight-iitting heads 2 and has upon its rear face a proper steam-chest 10, closed by a removable lid 9. The cylinder 1 is rigidly supported upon any proper supporting-base 1i), having proper journal-boxes 20 for the powershaft 3, which passes longitiulinally through emu No. 176,969. (No model.)

the cylinder and carries in concentric relation the cylindrical piston 2, fixed thereon. This piston 2 is concentric with the working chamber and has a. single fixed or integral radial steam-vane 4, adapted to snugly bridge the annular steam-space 12 within the cylinder, as shown in Fig. l. The working chamber has an inlet-steam port and an exhaustport 11. The inlet-port 5 is provided at its outer end and within the steam-chamber with a cut-off valve 8, having a horizontal valvestem27,whose outer end is pivotally connected to its actuating mechanism, hereinafter described.

In a radial opening in the rear face of the cylinder 1 and between the inlet-port 5 and the exhaust-port 11 is arranged a radiallyslidable abutment 6, having operating stems or rods 7, which pass through the lower portion of the steam-chest and also through iroper smiling-boxes 13 on the outer face or id 9. The outer ends of these rods 7 are rigidly iixed in the outer ends of arms 14, res )ectively, Fig. 2, which arms are iixed at tieir inner ends to the boxing 15.

To the rear face of the steam-chest lid 9 and approximately midway of its ends is rigidly fixed an upright bracket 17, Fig. 1. Directly above this bracket 17 is arranged an overhanging bracket 16, also rigidly fixed to the rear face of the steam-chest lid 9. Between these two brackets is slidably mounted the boxing 15, in which is loosely mounted the rear end 26 of the abutment-operating loverarm, which is pivoted at a proper point on the vertical pin 25, which is fixed on the rear edge of the base .19 and neurone end thereof. The other and forward end 24 of this lever-arm is upwardly curved and forms the segment of a circle and is provided upon its forward end with a pendent pin 2.1, Fig. 2. Adjacent to one end of the said cylinder 1 is arranged a wheel 22, rigidly iixed on the shaft 3 and provided with an annular peripheral groove 23, which at one portion of its course is curved out of its course, as shown in Fig. 2. The curved portion 24 of the said lever-arm 24 overhangs the wheel 22 in such a relation thereto that the lower end of the pin 21 remains in and tracks or registers continuously with the groove 23 at all points of the revolution of the said wheel, whereby when the pin 21 reaches the laterally-curved portion of said groove it will force the forward end 24 of the said lever-arm inward, thereby forcing the outer end 26 thereof outward, carrying with it the boxing 15, to which the rods 7 are secured. arm obviously withdraws the slidable abutment 6 from the working chamber to permit the approaching steam-vane 4 to pass. Adjacent to the other head of the cylinder is arranged a second wheel 34, fixed upon the shaft 3 and having its perimeter out of both vertical or horizontal alinement, Fig. 2.

At one side of the engine-base 19 is arranged an upright post or standard 32, on which is pivotally fulcrumed the horizontal arm 33, whose forward end is claw-shaped, overhangs the wheel 34, and has a pair of pins 35 and 36 adapted to loosely receive between them the perimcterof this wheel throughout its revolution. The pin 35 is fixed in thearm 33; but the pin 36 is adjustably arranged in a vertical slot 37 in said arm and is adapted to take up lost motion as occasion requires.

As before stated, the outer end of the valvestem 27 is pivotally connected to one end of the short arm 29, whose opposite and outer end is pivotally mounted in a boxing 30, fixed upon the rear end of the arm 33, by whose lateral movements the steam-inlet valve 8 is actuated.

The operation of my invention thus described is obvious and briefly stated is as follows: Referring at present to Figs. 1 and 2, the piston 2 is arranged to revolve toward the right, the wheel 34 and the arm 33 being so arranged as to open the steam-valve 8 at the instant the vane 4 of the piston passes the inlet-port 5 and closes the same when the piston has made approximately one-half of a revolution, after which the piston will be carried past the exhaust-port 11 by the expansive power of the steam. The revoluble piston is then carried past both the abutment 6 and the inlet-steam port 5 by its own momentum. The wheels 34 and 22 are so arranged upon the shaft 8 relative to each other that just before the vane 4 reaches the slidable abutmentii the said abutment will be withdrawn from its working chamber and out of the path of the approaching vane by the movement of the lever-arm 24 and the pin 21, which follows the lateral curvature of the groove 23 of its actuating-wheel 22. Of course this wheel 22 is so placed upon its shaft relative to the vane4 that this withdrawal of the abutment 6 will automatically take place at the proper time, as described.

.lt is seen that the operation of the inletvalve and the slidable abutment is by predetermined timed movements which are positive This movement of the said lever- BEST AVAlLABLE 'coPY and reliable and can readily be calculated in construction.

1 do not desire to be understood as limiting myself to any precise details of construction or arrangement of any of the operating parts, as they may obviously be indefinitely varied without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention and the manner of operating the same, what Idesire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. The combination in a rotary steam-engine of a piston-cylinder provided with a steam-chamber for the cut-off valves, and having steam inlet and exhaust ports; a rotary concentric piston in said chamber and provided with a radial steam-vane; a cut-off valve in the steam-chamber; a slidable abutment arranged in the wall of the pistonbetween the inlet and exhaust ports; means for withdrawing the abutment from the path of the piston by a timed movement, consisting of a wheel rigid on the main shaft, and having a curved peripheral groove, a curved arm whose forward end registers with the said groove, and whose rear end is loosely mounted in a boxing rigidly connected to the said abutment; and means for actuating the cut-off valve by a timed movement at each revolution of the piston, consisting of a wheel fixed on the main shaft having its perimeter arranged out of both vertical and horizontal alinement, a pivoted arm whose forward end loosely engages the perimeter of the said wheel and is actuated thereby, and whose rear end has a pivotal connection with the said valve, substantially as described.

2. In a rotary steam-engine a piston-cylinder having a steam-ehamlau' connected therewith by an inlet-steam port; a sliding abutment mounted in a suitable opening in the wall of the cylinder between the inlet and outlet ports; a rotary piston in concentric arrangement in the cylinder and provided with a steam-vane forming a. moving abutment therein; a cut-off valve in the steam-chamber; means for actuating the said sliding abutment consisting of a wheel lixed on the main shaft, and provided with a peripheral groove laterally curved at one point, a bent pivoted arm whose forward end has a pendent pin in register with the said groove, and whose rear end is loosely mounted in a proper boxing, and means for rigidly connecting the said boxing to the said abutment; and means for actuating the cut-elf valve by a timed movement as described, after the steam-vane passes the inletport, all substantially as described.

3. In a rotary engine a working cylinder having a steam-chamber, cut-oil valve and inlet and exhaust ports; a rotary concentric piston rigid on the main shaft and havinga radial steam-vane forming amoving abutment in said cylinder; a sliding abutment in the wall of the cylinder between the inletand exhaust ports; means for mitomatically witlalrawing BEST AVAILABLE COPY 749,703 8 the said abutment momentarily from the path is pivotally connected to said valve substanof the piston by a timed movement, and means tially as described.

for actuating the cut-off valve at each revolu- Signed by me at Fort Wayne, county of Altion of the piston after the steam-vane passes len, State of Indiana, this 7th day of October, the inliet-polrt consisting of a wheel upog the A. D. 1903.

main s iaft raving its perimeter arrange out i of both vertical and horizontal alinement, a WILLIAM RRHMOND' horizontal pivoted arm whose forward end Witnesses:

loosely engages the perimeter of said wheel AUGUSTA VIBERG,

10 and is actuated thereby, and whose rear end LULA E. BULMAHN. 

